Friday, June 10, 2011

Jesus is Coming!

Revelation closes human history as Genesis opened it - in paradise. But there is one distinct difference in Revelation - evil is gone forever. Genesis describes Adam and Eve walking and talking with God; Revelation describes people worshiping God face to face. Genesis describes a garden with an evil serpent; Revelation describes a perfect city with no evil. The Garden of Eden was destroyed by sin; but paradise is re-created in the new Jerusalem.

The book of Revelation ends with an urgent request: "Come, Lord Jesus." In a world of problems, persecution, evil, and immorality, Christ calls us to endure in our faith. Our efforts to better our world are important, but their results cannot compare with the transformation that Jesus will bring about when He returns. He alone controls human history, forgives sin, and will re-create the earth and bring lasting peace.


Revelation is, above all, a book of hope. It shows that no matter what happens on earth, God is in control. It promises that evil will not last forever. And it depicts the wonderful reward that is waiting for all those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

There are many people in the world today who feel that God has given them special insight as to when the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will take place... down to the exact date. Even though the Holy Bible teaches that no one knows the exact date and time our Lord will return, these false prophets still continue to confuse the "world" and some "Christians" with their false prophecies. Let us study and meditate on God's Word to see what He tells us about the Second Coming.

And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.(Revelation 22:12-16)


Those who wash their robes are those who seek to purify themselves from a sinful way of life. They strive daily to remain faithful and ready for Christ's return. It is difficult to imagine how blood could make any cloth white, but the blood of Jesus Christ is the world's greatest purifier because it removes the stain of sin. White symbolizes sinless perfection or holiness, which can be given to people only by the death of the sinless Lamb of God on our behalf. This is a picture of how we are saved through faith (Isaiah 1:18; Romans 3:21-26).

The rewarding of each believer according to their works is taught in 2 Corinthians 5:10. Christ’s rewards are meant to provide a powerful incentive for an obedient life. Little wonder that the apostle Paul rigorously disciplined himself so that he would not be disqualified from the reward of reigning with Christ (1 Corinthians 9:24–27). The judgment seat of Christ can be a time of great regret, or it can be an occasion of supreme joy (2 Corinthians 5:9–11). After Christ comes again, He will give rewards to His own. This can be counted on because Christ is in control of all history and eternity.

In Eden, Adam and Eve were barred from any access to the tree of life because of their sin (Genesis 3:22-24). In the new earth, God's people will eat from the tree of life because their sins have been removed by Christ's death and resurrection. Those who eat the fruit of this tree will live forever. If Jesus has forgiven your sins, you will have the right to eat from this tree.

The tree of life is like the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). After Adam and Eve sinned, they were forbidden to eat from the tree of life because they could not have eternal life as long as they were under sin's control. But because of the forgiveness of sin through the blood of Jesus, there will be no evil or sin in this city. We will be able to eat freely from the tree of life when sin's control over us is destroyed and our eternity with God is secure.

Blessed introduces the last of the seven beatitudes in Revelation (Revelation 22:7; 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6). Since the tree of life is literal but is also viewed figuratively (Proverbs 3:18; 11:30; 13:12; 15:4), it suggests a quality of life involving an intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ based upon a persevering obedience. This may be a fulfillment of Christ’s provision of life, and more abundant life (John 10:10). Since no one can enter into the city unless their name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21:27), this beatitude is speaking of those justified by faith who express that faith in obedience (Ephesians 2:8–10). The obedient overcomer is promised the reward of entering through the gates of the city, possibly a privilege reserved for those who share in the Lord’s victory procession.

Dogs was a common expression used by Jews to speak of Gentiles (Matthew 15:26); here, however, it more likely speaks of false teachers (Philippians 3:2). Loves and practices a lie indicates a life dominated by falsehood (Revelation 21:8). The exact location of these sinners is not known, nor is it relevant. They are outside. They were judged and condemned in Revelation 21:7, 8. The emphasis is that nothing evil and no sinner will be in God's presence to corrupt or harm any of the faithful.

Jesus is both David's "Root" and "Offspring." As the Creator of all, Jesus existed long before David. As a human, however, He was one of David's direct descendants (Isaiah 11:1-5; Matthew 1:1-17). As the Messiah, He is the "Bright Morning Star," the light of salvation to all. Jesus is both the Source and Son of David, echoing the wording of Isaiah 11:1, 10. Jesus is both greater than David and the rightful heir to the throne of David. Bright and Morning Star means that for the Christian, Jesus is the comforting light in a dark world until the dawn of His return (Revelation 2:28).

So my brothers and sisters in Christ - let us not worry about the time and date that our Lord will return! As a "Believer" in Jesus Christ you have nothing to worry about. This will be an exciting time for those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Only our Holy and Awesome God knows when the time and date will be to finalize His work and fulfill the prophecies of the book of Revelation.

In the mean time, let us all go about doing God's work for Him and enjoy all of the blessings that He has given to each and every one of us. For when that final day does come... let us all rejoice and praise the Lord. And all God's people said...Amen.

References: NKJV Holy Bible, Life Application Bible (NIV), the Nelson Study Bible.

21 comments:

Gerry Adams said...

Very good post Lloyd. We are going through that book again at our church right now. It is one of my favorites.

WORLASI said...

Great post once again. The book of revelation brings mixed feelings among readers. To some, it brings fear and to others it brings hope as you rightly said but whatever reaction or message it carries to whoever reads, the fact remains the same and does not change, that is Jesus Christ is coming soon.

Look at Daniel 4:39-45 which talks about Lybia and Egypt. Compare it to what is happening today in those two very countries. Do you see any similarities? I would like to know your thoughts on this Lloyd as well as fellow readers.

Clint said...

The sooner, the better.

Susan Kane said...

I love reading your posts.
Yes, Jesus is coming soon! In the view of all craziness of this world, it must be soon.

Jornal da Assembleia said...

My Brother,
The "Lord's Day" is the doors, and much of our brothers are sleeping the sleep of indolence.
We need to spread the Gospel of Christ and meditate on the Word day after day.
All this until the day that Jesus comes from heaven and lead us to the Holy City.

Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus!

See you in heaven!

Jonathas, Brazil

Sara G said...

Amen!

Anonymous said...

Great post! God Bless. Have a nice weekend.

Ken said...

Come Lord Jesus, come. I agree lets not worry about when, but lets just do what He has called us to do.

God bless,
Ken

Sr Crystal Mary Lindsey said...

So right lloyd, We don't need to worry about the time of coming, just need to be ready for when he does.. It will be wonderful. Blessings to you.

Geoff Maritz said...

Hey Lloyd, good to hear from you.
Jesus is coming soon? When you pray in the name of Jesus does he not come immediately? Jesus is with you right now to protect you every day of your life, which has already begun. I think that what he meant by telling us to, go and make disciples, was to tell people they can call on the name of Jesus, because God is with us right now.
I'm not trying to contradict you in any way but through my own personal experiences have found that I can call on the name of Jesus at any time and he will come to my aid very soon. Jesus is with me right now and personally speaking, I'm not waiting for his second coming, He is with me every day of my life.
There is much about the book of revelation that has not been opened to me yet but this much I know, Jesus is alive and no matter what day it is, He comes to my aid and protection.
To me the biggest deception has been the belief that I had to wait for Jesus's second coming to experience a better life. This has caused an amazing degree of trouble in my life while He was with me all the time. I will trust him to be with me, even now and will enjoy my life one day at a time.
God bless you my very special friend, Geoff.

Unknown said...

It's been a while since I've read a post of yours. The rapture that was prophesied to occur a few weeks ago had me scared. No matter how obedient and submissive you are, there's no guarantee you'll make it in; you can only hope to. And a lot of times religion and man can be an obstruction to what ought to be a READILY ACCESSIBLE Lord. It should be as simple as blinking, the relationship between God and man. I loved this post. It's relevant. All we can do is be ready. Like that player on the bench; he's not in the rotation, but he's dressed and ready for the call, whenever it may be...

Mari Nuñez said...

Amen! Have a great week Lloyd.

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

Gerry - The Book of Revelation has always been one of my favorites also.

WORLASI - Thank you for the kind words. You are right when you say the bottom line in the Book of Revelation is that Jesus is coming soon. Therefore all believers should remember that God is in complete control and not worry about the "end times" but rejoice that our Lord is Coming!

I believe that you may be referring to Daniel 11: 39-45 which talks about Lybia and Egypt. When I read these verses I do see similarities. The backdrop of this verse and the remainder of the chapter is the covenant the king of v. 36 will make with Israel. The time of the end refers to the period just before the return of Christ (see Matt. 24:14). The king of v. 36 will enter the Glorious Land of Palestine. Edom, Moab, and Ammon, the traditional enemies of Israel, will not be invaded. The king will then conquer Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia. The north here could be a reference to Palestine, a view which seems to be confirmed by v. 45. The seas refers to the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea. The glorious holy mountain refers to Mount Zion, the site of the temple. The end of the king of v. 36 is sealed at Christ’s second coming (see Rev. 19:11–21). Some of these events may have been fulfilled in the past, and some have yet to be fulfilled. The antichrist of the last days becomes the center of attention from this point through the rest of the book of Daniel. "The beautiful holy mountain" is Mount Zion or the city of Jerusalem.

Clint - Like I was mentioning to WORLASI, let us not worry....but rejoice in the Day of the Coming of the Lord.

Susan - Thank you for your visit. It is a crazy world.

Jonathas - Amen...Let us continue in the Lord's work until He comes.

Sara, Bearshoes, Ken, Crystal Mary and Mari - I want to personally thank each of you for your visit and comments. God bless.

Geoff - Isn't it a blessing to know that the Spirit of God lives in each of us. No matter where we are or what we are doing Jesus is always there to comfort us and give us the peace and joy that only He can bring.

The Book of Revelation puts an end to all of God's work for mankind. When we, as sinners, accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we became children of God and the Holy Spirit indwelled us. Otherwise Jesus' spirit now lives in us. Jesus promised that He would give us an "abundance of life" and that He would prepare a place for us in heaven. These promises Jesus has kept. The Second Coming of Christ will be a glorious and wonderful day for the believer because that will be the day we will see our Lord and Savior "Face to Face" and be with Him forever. God will destroy the devil and there will be no more pain and sorrow, only peace, joy and comfort in worshiping the one and only Holy and Almighty God.

Kevin - I agree with what you are saying except for this one little phase, "there's no guarantee you'll make it in". The Bible has so many scriptures that make it clear that if you sincerely accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will be SAVED. This means that you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and that nobody, not even the devil can snatch you out of the hands of God. I sort of look at it this way...God has written your name in the "Lamb's Book of Life" and that He does not erase it every time you make a mistake (sin). There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If we sin, we do not loose our salvation, but we lose fellowship with the Lord. So when we repent of our sins, we regain fellowship and become closer to the Lord. God bless you my brother in Christ.

Karen Kyle Ericson said...

What a great post! I'm sorry I haven't been on your blog in awhile. You disappeared from my followers list and I have to remember to look you up :) I love Revelation too. When the time is right I want to put a few scriptures in my inspirational blog. I'm leery of reading through the whole book in my blog- the prophecies have been so misinterpreted. God bless you abundantly!

Xian Garvida said...

are we ready yet? i hope everyone will be ready on the second coming of Jesus...all glory and praise to you Lord Jesus!

Ateliê MK said...

Thank you for your visit and for your comment
I like your blog
God be with you

Miro

Anonymous said...

I, for one, am looking UP in great expectation!! AMEN Come Quickly LORD JESUS!!

Sidney Alves Amaral said...

Lloyd, Obrigado sempre por suas palavras. Deus te abençoe.

Sidney ( papodedesenhista)

Tony Siew said...

Dear Lloyd, it's good to read your post on Revelation. Yes, I do sense that many things are happening in the world today pointing to the fulfilment of Revelation soon. "Come, Lord Jesus, Come!"

Rapture Before The Tribulation said...

(Watching) for our Blessed Hope, Jesus Christ to Rapture us to the New Jerusalem(Heaven) (Blessed) are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find (watching) as shared in Proverbs 8:34, Luke 12:37, and Revelation 16:15 We are told many Times in the Bible to WATCH, and Notice Revelation 3:3 Shares those who are not Watching, He will come like a Thief. Now is the Time to Watch for King Jesus Christ, and Love his Appearing! Infact if you Love his Appearing (Rapture) you will receive a Special Crown! as Shared in the scripture 2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a (crown) of righteousness) which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only but (unto all them also that love his appearing)

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